# Hand turned bottle stoppers



## Jordan303 (Aug 16, 2008)

I figured this would best be put in the drink forum.

I wanted to test out my new buffing wheels so I turned a couple of bottle stoppers.

The purple one is purple heart. It is a hard wood from Central/ South America. The wood when first cut from a tree is Brown, after some time it quickly turns into rich purple. After some exposure to UV light it will turn a richer darker shade of Purple/Brown.

The second is Bocote. Bocote is a hard and very oily wood. It originates from South America and is a top choice for wood turners. The Orange and Black grain give it a nice contrast. I made my cuts to make a V. At the point of each V you can get these circles (I call them eyes) that I just love.

What do you guys think?


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

OH wow!! What do you think about trading those for some cigars/accessories/etc.? Those are beautiful.


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## Jordan303 (Aug 16, 2008)

Sure I can trade them. Which one were you interested in?


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## Rock31 (Sep 30, 2010)

Amazing! Those looks great.


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## E Dogg (Mar 23, 2011)

Awesome job. Did you finish them with CA glue? Or ???? 

Would you be interested in getting some old growth air dried black walnut? I have some small flitches that were felled about 30 years ago and it is very chocolaty in color. There is some nice figure in some of the pieces. I would be willing to give u some if you made me a stopper


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## Jordan303 (Aug 16, 2008)

e dogg- I only use Ca on pens. Although they provide a rock hard finish they tend to give the wood a plastic feel. I still use it on pens (or ploy) because that's the only finish that could last to the daily abouse that pens take. A bottle stopper is not handled nearly as often. After sanding to 600grit I then buffed with tripoli, white diamond, and finished with Carnauba wax. I could apply a finish if you request it tho. 

Sure if you send over some wood I would gladly make you a stopper. I need a peice that is around 1.5x1.5x1.5. If you have a specific peice with some nice character you would prefer I use just mark it and I'll use it.


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## E Dogg (Mar 23, 2011)

cool! I actually remembered i have a couple of small burls in the shop as well. I'll cut some blanks up in a couple of weeks and send them up to you. I'll send you a PM.... Thanks!


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## Hannibal (Apr 22, 2011)

Very nice looking stoppers!! 

*** Note to self, don't let the wife see these!!! ***

She is a avid wine drinker.....


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## SmoknTaz (Jun 18, 2008)

Nice work Jordan. :tu Your imagination and attention to detail never ceases to amaze me! Is there a pipe rack in the works?


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## Boudreaux (Jun 27, 2007)

Very nice work...


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

Hannibal said:


> Very nice looking stoppers!!
> 
> *** Note to self, don't let the wife see these!!! ***
> 
> She is a avid wine drinker.....


Mine as well and this will make a great present to her the next time she sees some of my cigar orders coming in...I need something to defuse the situation.



Jordan303 said:


> Sure I can trade them. Which one were you interested in?


The Purple one...the wife loves purple. PM me for what you charge and or trades.


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## Hannibal (Apr 22, 2011)

Cigary said:


> Mine as well and this will make a great present to her the next time she sees some of my cigar orders coming in...I need something to defuse the situation.


Good thinking Bro....

I might have to go that route also here very soon!!


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## Jordan303 (Aug 16, 2008)

Thank you everyone for the kind comments. 

Cigary- Pm on the way.


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## David_ESM (May 11, 2011)

Now you got me thinking...

I have a few rosewood blanks just laying around.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

Jordan303 said:


> Thank you everyone for the kind comments.
> 
> Cigary- Pm on the way.


Got ya covered and what you might want to do if you haven't already is get some business cards so I can pass some around. We travel around so much and we take our "toys" with us and peopel end up asking us.."where did you get that?" Jenady has those nubbers and I've been asked where I got mine every time I take a cruise and I go into the lounges...I probably could have made him some good money and throw some business his way.


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## thebayratt (Jun 4, 2009)

*GREAT work on these!!*
The Misses is a wine enjoyer and would love those. I got her a few off [email protected] that were glass and she uses them alot.

The Bocote looks great with the "grip" on it.


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## Jordan303 (Aug 16, 2008)

Hey taz. No pipe rack in the works just yet. I need a new scroll saw since mine crapped out. 

David- I really like rosewood especially with an oil and wax finish. Rosewood has a really rich look to it with its deep brown color. You should definitly make a couple stoppers. Would look really nice with a dark red wine.

I didn't think these would get as much attention as they did. Seams like I will have to make a couple more and post them


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## David_ESM (May 11, 2011)

Jordan303 said:


> I didn't think these would get as much attention as they did. Seams like I will have to make a couple more and post them


Cigars... Alcohol...

Hand in hand. :drinking:


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## Hannibal (Apr 22, 2011)

Jordan303 said:


> I didn't think these would get as much attention as they did. Seams like I will have to make a couple more and post them


They're not done yet??? What'cha waiting for??? :roll:


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## Wiseguy1982 (Nov 17, 2009)

Wow! Those are beautiful! I can't wait to see more, and different woods! OMG IT WOULD BE SO AMAZING!


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## Jordan303 (Aug 16, 2008)

hahaha well I just got back from a 12hr overnight shift at work. Looks like after a quick nap there should be some more bottle stopper pics by the end of the day.


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## Torqued (May 18, 2011)

Jordan303 said:


> I didn't think these would get as much attention as they did. Seams like I will have to make a couple more and post them


Subscribing for more stoppers.


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## David_ESM (May 11, 2011)

Jordan303 said:


> Looks like after a quick nap there should be some more bottle stopper pics by the end of the day.


Lies and slander!

:smoke2:


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## Jordan303 (Aug 16, 2008)

David_ESM said:


> Lies and slander!
> 
> :smoke2:


LOL. I actually ended up going to the store to purchase some more wood, bottle stopper bits, ofcourse some more pen kits, and a couple cigar punch kits. By the time I got back we had some people over for dinner and had to go to work the next day. I am off Sat-Tues so rest assured there WILL be more stoppers this weekend.


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## SmoknTaz (Jun 18, 2008)

Jordan303 said:


> LOL. I actually ended up going to the store to purchase some more wood, bottle stopper bits, ofcourse some more pen kits, and a couple cigar punch kits. By the time I got back we had some people over for dinner and had to go to work the next day. I am off Sat-Tues so rest assured there WILL be more stoppers this weekend.


 Well since you'll be having a few days off, make sure you have a few bowls and a cigar or two! :tu

ps. progress pics would be nice too!


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## Boudreaux (Jun 27, 2007)

SmoknTaz said:


> ps. progress pics would be nice too!


I'd like to see some progress as well...


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## Jordan303 (Aug 16, 2008)

I was going to turn a few bottle stoppers today but my mother is going to California tomorrow and wanted to give a few pens to her brothers. These pics don't really do the pens justice but I like how they came out.

The one on the left is a red mallee burl, on the right is a lace sheoak. Both come from Australia.

I know I promised more stoppers by the end of the weekend. But hey the weekend isn't over just yet!


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## Boudreaux (Jun 27, 2007)

Jordan, your pen work is very nice as are the stoppers... Hopefully you have some time today to turn some out...


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

Jordan..just got my bottle stopper today and the wife loves it..purple is her favorite color so I'm a hero today..tomorrow I'm an a$$hole. I only catch a break once in awhile. Thanks again for a quick shipment and you should have your $$$$ today in your account.


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## David_ESM (May 11, 2011)

Cigary said:


> so I'm a hero today..tomorrow I'm an a$$hole.


Better take advantage of today then.


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## Jordan303 (Aug 16, 2008)

Well it's not the weekend but better late than never right?

I did something a little different to these stoppers. I made my own friction polish out of laquer. You guys would be suprised how difficult it is to get a can of deft laquer here in Canada. after turning them and adding my friction polish I headed over to my buffer and gave it the 3 stages ending with canauba wax.

The first is a full sized stopper made out of yellow heart. This heartwood actually grows in the South Eastern part of the united states. It is a hard wood that will get a darker richer color with time and exposure to UV.










The next is bocote (again) from South America. I found a knot in the wood I really wanted to bring out. This is a mini stopper made of staineless steel.










This mini stopper is turned from Padauk. Padauk is grown in Africa and sometimes found in Asia. When cut it is a beautiful rich shade of red, over time this too will become a warmer redish brown.










This is a stopper I have been meaning to attempt for a while now. It is a low profile stopper perfect for storing in the fridge. It has a really tight silicon seal and is meant to slip over the bottle only adding about 1/2'' to the height of the bottle. The only problem is I don't have any wine bottles lying around so I'm not sure if I made the hole to small. Can someone measure the outside diameter of the neck at it's widest point. Anyways it is made from Bubinga.


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## Tabb (May 21, 2011)

Those are freakin' awesome.


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## SmoknTaz (Jun 18, 2008)

Nice work Jordan. I like the look of the the mini stoppers especially the Bocote! Is it me or does the knot look like it's staring back at you? 

I measured a couple of bottles and I got 2cm (inside) and 2.5 and 2.6 for the outside.


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## Boudreaux (Jun 27, 2007)

Jordan, that is very amazing work... Thanks for posting the pics...


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## SmoknTaz (Jun 18, 2008)

Just wanted to give a shout out to Jordan for his handy work. The cigar punch is out of this world! They look even better in person! :tu


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## gasdocok (May 14, 2011)

wow, that punch is gorgeous. I may be interested in something like that. one question though, most of the punches I've seen are open on both ends so you can get the plug out, how does yours work in that regard?

Thanks.


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## Fuzzy (Jun 19, 2011)

Beautiful! 

with a little machine work, those would make awesome nubbers, too!


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## SmoknTaz (Jun 18, 2008)

gasdocok said:


> wow, that punch is gorgeous. I may be interested in something like that. one question though, most of the punches I've seen are open on both ends so you can get the plug out, how does yours work in that regard?
> 
> Thanks.


There's a built in plunger at the top. It's spring loaded and voila it's ready for the next smoke! :smoke:


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## Jordan303 (Aug 16, 2008)

Hey Taz. I didn't even notice you posted. Thank you for the shout out and the kind comments.

In case you were curiouse the punch is made from Red Mallee burl all the way from Australia. Glad you enjoy the punch just remember airport security is not to fond of them


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## Juicestain (Jul 10, 2009)

Wow! Very sweet work Jordan.


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## E Dogg (Mar 23, 2011)

Wow, it's been a while, but I haven't forgot. I have cut some blanks out of the burls I have, just have been super busy and I am trying to stabilize them and just haven't gotten around to finishing them up. I am also having a custom knife made and wanted to make sure he would use my wood in the handle. looks like I'll have some matching wood with these things.


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## Habano (Jul 5, 2010)

Beautiful stoppers. Quick question. How well do these preserve the wine? Meaning if I open a bottle of red wine, would this help preserve the wine for a week or two at most? I've got stuff I can spray into the bottle that removes the air, but then needs a stopper. So my biggest thing is I need a stopper that produces a tight seal to keep from air getting into the bottle.


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## E Dogg (Mar 23, 2011)

Without the nitrogen spray, I would say the wine would be good for a few days, 4 at most. But if you have bloxigen (or some other nitrogen gas) then yeah, a couple weeks or more for sure.....


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## Jordan303 (Aug 16, 2008)

E Dogg- No worries, I'm not going anywhere. I'm excited to see the wood tho, should make for some excellent looking peices.

Starbuck- According to the experts the key to storing wine is to keep it from oxidizing. The best way if to get rid of all the oxygen and seal it as best as possible. There are 2 style of stoppers I make. The first is the metal stopper, they do a great job at sealing the wine but are a bit tall for long term storage in the fridge. The other option is the low profile stopper I make specifically for long term storage. The rubber grommet provides a better seal and with the low profile it is much easier to store anywhere in the fridge as it only adds about 1cm to the overall height of the bottle.


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## E Dogg (Mar 23, 2011)

Ok Jordan. I've glued up some more blanks for you today. I now have some bubinga, zebrawood and some cocobolo to add to the mix. I'll probably get them out to you next week.


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## Jordan303 (Aug 16, 2008)

Oooo very excited. Haven't turned zebrawood in over a year! Sounds great. Once I get the wood i'll be sure to turn some treats and send them right back to you.


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